On last week’s episode of Happy Endings, Max (played by Adam Pally) had a shirtless scene. Since the show features a healthy amount of sex, that wasn’t unusual. But what was unusual was the discovery that Max and his portrayer have a chest tattoo. A Hebrew tattoo that reads “Asher.”

In an interview with Craig Ferguson, Pally talked about the tattoo and said that Asher is his Hebrew name. Since tattoos are outlawed in Judaism, the ink is extra funny. However, the episode didn’t cover the tattoo up with body makeup or address or give any background into how Max might have ended up with the tat. Therefore, I’m going to retcon it and say that Max had a Jewish boyfriend back in the day and got his name tattooed on him and just hasn’t bothered to remove it yet. And now I’m going to think about which cute Jewy actor they can get to play Asher in a flashback.

It is a common misconception that tattoos are outlawed in Judaism. They aren’t. While there is considerable tradition that consiers them a desecration of the body, there is no Jewish law that forbids tattooing. Indeed, there are Bible verses that can be interpreted as condoning the practice.